Abrazo Arrowhead Hospital first opened in 1998 and continues to expand with a new 4,000 square foot addition to its surgery suite. This addition ultimately increases the level of surgical services provided at this impressive 173,000 square foot campus. The expansion is an example of how the industry continues to grow, delivering new high wage jobs and an improved quality of life for our residents.

New Businesses in Downtown Glendale

Downtown Glendale recently welcomed two new businesses!

Nomadic Ice Cream Rolls, located at 5750 West Glendale Avenue, held their soft opening at the beginning of February. Nomadic was the first ice cream roll cart in Arizona and we are excited to see them open their first brick and mortar location in downtown Glendale offering this unique dessert trend. This handmade ice cream treat is made with liquid ice cream poured on an ice pan, then mixed with fruit and different ingredients, that is quickly chilled, rolled and served.

Veggie Rebellion, the first vegan grocery store in Arizona, officially opened its doors in February at 5717 West Glendale Avenue. Veggie Rebellion has been a vendor at the Downtown Glendale Farmer's Market until most recently taking the next step to open their first brick and mortar storefront. Veggie Rebellion received significant interest from the local media including coverage on ABC15, Arizona Republic and the Glendale Star.

We are thrilled to see these two businesses choose to invest in our downtown and we look forward to welcoming more new businesses to the downtown community!

C.R. Supply selects Glendale

C.R. Supply, a California-based global distributor of energetic metal powders such as zirconium metal powder, zirconium hydride, zirconium/nickel powder, and titanium hydride has selected Glendale for its new manufacturing facility. The company closed escrow on two vacant industrial parcels at 5233 W Luke Avenue. They plan to invest $1 to $1.5 million into a new 10,000 square foot building and equipment and will initially hire 15 employees with the goal of doubling their facility size in the next year or two to over 20,000 square feet. Their process uses electric furnaces and anticipates little-to-no emission from their facility, which will supply industrial, auto and aerospace manufactures.

Aloft Groundbreaking

Aloft Hotel, who announced a new four-story 100 room hotel in the Westgate Entertainment District late last year, is holding a groundbreaking ceremony for the facility on April 10, 2018. Located on the southwest corner of 93rd Ave and Glendale, the hotel will feature the company’s newest designs with wood flooring and a redesigned lobby. Aloft selected Glendale and the Westgate area because of its hip, modern atmosphere which complements the brand’s image. The hotel is expected to open later this year.

Westgate Adds New Amenities

Westgate continues to grow with the addition of new restaurants and amenities. Olive Garden and Dutch Bros have both recently opened. The area will soon welcome Manna Korean BBQ, Twin Peaks, and Fat Tuesdays which are anticipated to open later this year. In addition to the new restaurants, the Lofts at Westgate are now open, which offers the opportunity to live right in the heart of the Westgate Entertainment District.

Glendale Businesses are Getting Noticed

Sprouts, which has three stores and a warehouse in Glendale, was listed on Fortune’s 2018 World’s Most Admired Companies. The company came in fourth in the Food and Drug category.

Delta Dental of Arizona, headquartered in Glendale, will be recognized as the 2018 Community Champion in the small to medium business category at the Greater Phoenix Chamber Impact awards.

Plaza Companies., a full-service real estate firm that represents a number of Glendale properties, was named the recipient of the Greater Phoenix Chamber 2018 Economic Driver award.

Glendale Chamber Launches New Publication

The Glendale Chamber of Commerce has launched a new publication. Called Glendale Living, the magazine features information on the local economy and Glendale businesses, dining, entertainment, the Chamber member directory and more. The magazine will be published quarterly. Check out the first issue here and be on the lookout for many more exciting issues to come!

Getting the Word out about Glendale

Part of our role in Economic Development is to ensure that our audience of citizens, brokers, site selectors, and partners are informed of the community assets and development activity in Glendale. The Glendale Economic Development team had the opportunity to spread the word in numerous venues this past quarter such as the Glendale Chamber of Commerce Business over Breakfast, the Kiwanis Club, the Glendale Rotary, and the Glendale Public Library DIY and Tech Fest. These opportunities are critical to keeping the community up to date.

ASU Start Up School and Glendale IDEA Center Featured

The Glendale IDEA Center was recently featured in an Arizona Republic article highlighting recent Library Services and Technology Act grant recipients. The grants fund unique programs that are most likely to provide long term benefits to local communities. The article shared the benefits the center offers including conference table space, databases for market research, and economic development office hours, not to mention a future audio video production space. To read more click here

The article also highlighted the ASU Start Up School series, a 6-part series offered in partnership with the Glendale Public Library, Office of Economic Development and ASU’s Entrepreneurship Outreach Network designed to help entrepreneurs and small business owners learn the fundamentals of entrepreneurship. The next round of classes will begin in April and continue through May. All classes are held from 6:00PM-7:30PM at the Glendale Main Library, 5959 W Brown St.

Don’t forget the Glendale Economic Development team will be holding office hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays at the Glendale IDEA Center, located in the main branch of the library at 5959 W Brown Street. Entrepreneurs and business owners can stop by to receive assistance in planning, launching or growing your business venture. Office hours will be 3pm-5pm on Tuesdays and 10am-12pm on Thursdays. Appointments are encouraged; sign up by calling 623-930-2983, email ideacenter@glendaleaz.com, or in person at the library reference desk.

Glendale 4th Quarter Building Occupancy

Office vacancy in 4th quarter 2017 was 18.7% with less than 1 million square feet of vacancy. The largest contiguous space available in the city is 20,000 square feet. The city is trending much closer to the Greater Phoenix vacancy rate, and when unavailable buildings are excluded the rate is similar to the metro average.

Industrial vacancy continues to sit at near historic lows, with a rate of 3.3% in 4th quarter 2017. This is significantly lower than the average metropolitan Phoenix rate of 7.8%. Even with the low vacancy rates, Glendale has ample opportunity for development with numerous build to suit opportunities.

Retail vacancy in Glendale continues to decline, dropping to 6.0% in 4th quarter 2017, compared to 6.4% the previous quarter. This continues to outpace the metro Phoenix average. Glendale has experienced continued success in the sector, with new space being constructed in addition to existing space being absorbed.

Rate

Retail

Industrial

Office

Square feet Vacant

873,681

384,906

947,564

Square feet Occupied

13,616,353

11,239,779

4,116,961

Percent Vacant

6.0%

3.3%

18.7%

Market Comparisons:

Glendale:

Metro Phoenix:

National:

Retail Vacancy:

6.0%

7.8%

4.5%

Industrial Vacancy:

3.3%

7.8%

4.9%

Office Vacancy:

18.7%

14.7%

9.4%

Source: Costar,
4th Quarter 2017

Spotlight on – Medical

The medical sector continues to be a strong point in Glendale. Abrazo Arrowhead’s recent expansion is indicative of this trend. Their growth, along with the recent designation of Banner Thunderbird Medical Center as a Level I Trauma Center, provides needed services to Glendale residents and allows them to access the care needed, right in their own backyard.

According to data from EMSI the industry will continue to grow. Glendale alone is expected to add an additional 2,500 healthcare related jobs by 2025. With educational programs in place at Midwestern University, ASU West, Glendale Community College and Arizona College, the city is well positioned to fill that gap.